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The DNA Sequencing Wars

By evolgen on November 16, 2006.

Yesterday, I mentioned that one of the greatest technological developments that contributed to the evolution of population genetics was the automation of DNA sequencing. I was unaware, however, that the automated DNA sequencing method that most people use was patented by a group from Caltech (including Leroy Hood) in 1998. The actual invention was conceived in the early 1980s, but a competing group claims they came up with the idea first according to this article in the NYTimes.

If Enzo Biochem, the group suing Caltech over the patent, were to win their lawsuit, companies such as Applied Biosystems (which makes many of the DNA sequencers used in genetics labs) would need to redirect their royalty payments to Enzo. I guess this could affect the price of DNA sequencing machines that employ the dye termination method, but I'm not sure what the implications for research would be. This does not have any affect on alternative sequencing strategies (such as 454), which may make traditional Sanger sequencing obsolete.

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